This invention relates to a tool storing and feeding apparatus for feeding tools to a machine tool such as a machining center and the like, and a method thereof.
Heretofore, a drum-shaped tool magazine, a chain type tool magazine, etc. are known as a tool storing and feeding apparatus of the type set forth above. However, they are limited to several tens in number of tools which they can store and feed.
In recent years, however, a machining by machine tool without using a man power has been prevailed. In such a case, in order to process a number of various kinds of works, tools which are required to feed to a machine tool is increased in number tremendously. Therefore, conventional tool storing and feeding apparatuses which are capable of feeding only several tens of tools are no more effective in performing a satisfactory processing work.
In view of the foregoing, there are proposed several types of tool storing and feeding apparatuses. One such example is of the type which includes a plurality of tool magazines of a drum shape, wherein a number of tools are fed while replacing the magazines with respect to a machine tool. Another example is a chain type tool magazine, wherein the length of a chain is extended in order to store a number of tools. A still further example is of the type, wherein a plurality of chain type tool magazines are arranged in a parallel relation. However, they still have such a disadvantage as that they are not practical when used for feeding from one hundred to several hundreds of tools, since many problems are involved, e.g. that a long time is required for feeding the tools to the machine tool, that a large space is required for installation thereof, etc.
Also, another effective proposal is of the type, wherein tools are stored in a storing shelf formed in three dimensions beforehand, and the tools are delivered to a machine tool by a delivery robot. However, in this type, it is required to keep sufficient spaces among the tools stored on the shelf in order to avoid interference between the robot and the adjacent tools at a time when a tool is taken out and stored. In addition to the foregoing, a sufficient space is required to maintain between the travelling position of the delivery robot and the storing position of the tools on the shelf in order to avoid interference between the travelling robot and the tools stored on the shelf, which prohibits the tools to store in high density. Therefore, where hundreds of tools are required to store, there often arises an installation space problem.